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Caroline Walken
Author
Behind the Fan
Behind the Fan by Caroline Walken follows the family of Dorothy Kennedy-Denham as they care for her. Dottie has lived nearly a century, outliving friends, family and the love of her life Nicky. She slips into the past often, and the family is at a loss as to how to reach her. She, however, has found a place that gives her peace and comfort, one where she again celebrates her life and her love. Her memory lapse allows Nicky the opportunity to connect with her again, holding him in ‘The Void’ where he can only move forward if she joins him. Dottie would willingly do so, but she has unfinished business to attend first. After a nearly fatal accident, her family arrives in her home. The decision made that the safest place for their feeble relative is in an assisted living facility. However, a discovery in the woman’s memorabilia opens a door no one expected. The family embarks on a journey that unravels a history they never imagined. This also gives Dottie an opportunity to share her life’s lessons with those she holds most dear. This is not just another heartfelt family moment, however; the family may need to embrace a passing entanglement with gangsters and bootleggers, this being only on their grandfather’s side of the family. They first must recover from the shock that their sweet grandmother was a burlesque dancer and a successful one at that! In retelling her life story Dottie is able to use her life’s lessons to help the women in her family come to terms with their own battles. Whether it is love, trust or confidence, Dottie has a treasure trove of examples to use. Finally, those that she loves find a new path to happiness and she is free to pursue her own. In her life and in her passing, she touches her great-granddaughter, Maisie the deepest. A quiet studious girl, she is keen to notice the faint scent of Cigar smoke and questions if Dottie’s ‘moments’ could be more. Her great-grandmother helps her see the beauty she possesses and gives her confidence to seek her own happiness. In the end, she will circle back to the same home, electing to begin her family there in the place where she feels loved. Behind the Fan is more than just a romance; it is a comedy, a story of family and one of hope. In it, I explore if the state of dementia could be something more, or could it be this is what we simply hope. The setting of Newport Kentucky based on the city’s rich and interesting history. I grew up in northern Kentucky and I am not ashamed to say my family may have had a gangster or two in our family tree as well. I feel the characters are rich and multifaceted and keeping the reader turning to the next page.
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